Named for a kid’s sailing dinghy, The Optimist is the creation of Atlanta chef and managing partner Ford Fry, who clearly knows how to navigate a winner: It is without a doubt the best of a growing number of big-name fish houses that have opened this year.

The story of how this unassuming, 39-seat restaurant in Los Angeles became the restaurant of the year is, to put it in sports terms, like that of a minor league baseball player who goes from batting .200 one year to hitting a grand slam in the bottom of the ninth with two outs to win the World Series the next

Jeffrey's and Josephone House owner Larry McGuire and creative director Ryan Smith assembled an esteemed team of designers, the likes of which have worked with Phillip Lim and Zac Posen, to design, produce, and style every staff outfit on the property.

These “little ears” are not only fun to make (once you get the hang of it), but thanks to their irregular texture and shape, they really catch and hold onto whatever sauce you’re using. Make an extra batch and freeze for weeknights.

Let’s get this out of the way: Eating at Saison, Joshua Skenes’s 32-seat stunner, is expensive. Very expensive. Figure $248 for the prix fixe (the only option), and $148 more for the wine pairing, which you should get. You’ll also want a few cocktails at the bar first. Six hours later, your table of two... View Article